In an increasingly contaminated world, more and more people are ditching off-the-shelf deodorants packed with unsavory ingredients, and replacing them with more natural and green alternatives.
It’s actually incredibly easy to learn how to make your own antiperspirant at home, using a few simple ingredients and therefore keeping your body free of both sweat and the dangers of chemicals seeping into your body and causing long-term problems.
Everybody sweats and it’s impossible to stop that, and if you sweat, then eventually you smell. That’s why we apply deodorant, but many of us are starting to realize that part of that deal doesn’t have to be unhealthy.
So let’s look at what you can use to create an all natural antiperspirant, that is free of chemicals, cheap to make and highly effective, and why a little effort could make a big difference to both your wallet and your skin.
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The Benefits Of Making Natural Antiperspirant
If you’ve ever looked at the ingredients in a can of deodorant you could be shocked. Many of them contain substances that you would never consider rubbing on your skin if you were presented with them individually:
- Aluminum
- Phthalates
- Triclosan
- Parabens
- Propylene Glycol
Individually these ingredients spell trouble. For example aluminum is linked to breast tumors and Alzheimer’s. Trichinosis is based around a chemical fertilizer and is potentially cancer forming, while Propylene Glycol has been linked to liver damage. [1]
So anything you can do to avoid these types of chemicals will really benefit you, but if you use an off-the-shelf deodorant, you don’t stand a chance.
That’s why so many people are now turning to making their own natural deodorant. It takes some time, but a homemade antiperspirant can be just as effective, and far better for you.
The Basics Of A DIY Antiperspirant
The basics of any DIY antiperspirant are really simple, you just have to use a group of ingredients that achieves three things:
- Blocks the sweat pores producing sweat
- Contains perfume that will smell nice
- Moisturizes and protects the skin
There are several easy recipes out there, and as with anything, it’s experimenting with the blends to get something that works best for you.
Some people do find that homemade antiperspirant can stain clothing. It’s not a big problem, but this is usually related to using too much. It is always better to start with a very small amount and build up until you find the right amount to deal with the sweat and smell that you generate. Giving your skin time to absorb the organic antiperspirant before putting clothes on will also help.
Homemade Antiperspirant Recipes That Really Work
There are literally hundreds of recipes out there to make natural antiperspirant easily at home. We can’t go through them all, and part of the fun is to experiment with different recipes to see what works for you. But we can give you a couple of classic and trusted examples to get you started.
Easy homemade antiperspirant recipe #1
- 8 tablespoons of coconut oil
- half a tablespoon, or slightly less, of gently melted beeswax
- 6 tablespoons of cornstarch
- 6 tablespoons of baking soda
- A few drops of a fruit essential oils such as orange or lemon
Preparing this recipe is really easy and should only take about 10 minutes. Gently mix the coconut oil and beeswax together over a very low heat. An easy way to do this is to gently microwave them in a bowl until they are a warm paste.
Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Then transfer it to a small screw lid container or well fitted plastic lidded container. You can then use it as needed by scooping out a small amount onto your fingers and rubbing in your hands until the oil melts slightly and then applying to the underarms, or wherever on the body you need.
DIY antiperspirant recipe #2
As with the first recipe, this is based around oil and butter to create a moisturizing and skin conditioning base. The ingredients required are:
- 4 tablespoons of coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons of Shea butter
- 2 tablespoons of baking powder
- 2 tablespoons of arrowroot starch
- Five or more drops of each of three essential oils, like grapefruit, orange and tea tree
The process is the same as with the first recipe, gently melt the coconut and Shea butter together until they are a warm liquid, then add the rest of the ingredients. Transfer the fully mixed natural antiperspirant to a container with a tight fitting lid and allow to solidify.
How To Use Natural Homemade Deodorant
The only downside to making your own antiperspirant is that you can’t spray it conveniently. Neither can you really use a roller ball deodorant container for most home-made deodorant recipes, although there are some liquid-based ones that you can use.
Although you may feel slightly greasy when you apply the organic antiperspirant, it will ease quickly, just as a roller ball deodorant that you purchase does.
Coconut oil makes a great base because not only is it a natural emollient, but it also has anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties, making it perfect for improving the condition of your skin.
If you are allergic to one of the ingredients, you can swap it for something else, like avocado oil, or a different type of essential oil. Again, it’s all about experimenting.
Some people also have a problem with baking soda on the skin and can develop a slight rash. Sometimes it’s just because there is simply to much baking soda in recipe, try a smaller amount see if stops triggering before giving up.[2]
So there you go, it’s really easy and simple to make homemade natural antiperspirant that cannot only save you a ton of money, condition and protect the skin, but also do the job of a shop bought antiperspirant but without the harmful ingredients.
Not into making your own antiperspirant? This one seems to be the most popular & strong commercial antiperspirant out there.